If your idea of hiking in Singapore begins and ends with Bukit Timah, you're missing the island's best-kept weekend secret. The Southern Ridges trail is a 10-kilometre stretch connecting Mount Faber Park to Kent Ridge Park, weaving through rainforest canopy, elevated walkways, and views that make you forget you're 15 minutes from an MRT station.
Start at HarbourFront MRT and take the Marang Trail entrance up to Mount Faber. The first stretch is a proper incline — steep enough to earn your kopi — before levelling out at Faber Peak, where the panoramic views of Sentosa, the port, and the Southern Islands open up. On a clear morning, the light here is golden and the crowds are thin.
The highlight of the entire route is Henderson Waves, the undulating timber bridge that connects Mount Faber to Telok Blangah Hill. At 36 metres above Henderson Road, it's Singapore's highest pedestrian bridge, and the curved wooden ribs create these perfect alcoves for sitting, snacking, and pretending you're somewhere in Scandinavia. Arrive before 9am on a weekend and you might get the whole bridge to yourself.
From Telok Blangah, the trail continues along the Forest Walk — an elevated steel walkway that threads through the secondary rainforest canopy at treetop level. This is where the walk transforms from urban hike to genuine nature immersion. Hornbills, long-tailed macaques, and the occasional monitor lizard are regular sightings. The air smells different up here: wet earth, frangipani, and something green you can't quite name.
The final stretch through Kent Ridge Park passes the Reflections at Bukit Chandu museum, a small but powerful tribute to the Malay Regiment's last stand during WWII. It's worth the 20-minute detour and free to enter. The trail officially ends at the Kent Ridge MRT station on the Circle Line.
Total walking time is about 3 to 4 hours at a comfortable pace, with stops for photos and water. Wear proper shoes — the Marang Trail section is uneven — and bring at least a litre of water per person. There are no drink stalls along the route until you hit Kent Ridge. Best months: March to September, before the haze season.
The Southern Ridges is free, open 24 hours, and requires zero permits. It's the Singapore hike that doesn't feel like Singapore — and that's exactly why you should do it this weekend.
